Has the Great British Bake Off lost its buzz?

We enjoyed watching the amateur bakers being put to the test and seeing who created a delicious masterpiece and who just ended up with a soggy bottom.

For years we listened carefully to either the glowing or damning verdicts of national treasure Mary Berry and baking guru Paul Hollywood and we cheered on our favourites through to the finale.

But the news that the programme was saying farewell to BBC after seven series and moving to Channel 4 following a fierce bidding war broke our hearts.

And learning that three of the mainstays of the programme – popular presenters Sue Perkins and Mel Giedroyc as well as much-loved Mary – would not be following it to its new home left us equally sad.

We feared the Great British Bake Off would never be the same again. And we were right. For many viewers, who have chosen to vote with their remote controls, it seems to have lost its spark.

Replacing Mel and Sue were QI’s Sandi Toksvig and The Mighty Boosh’s Noel Fielding and joining Paul to judge the bakers’ efforts was veteran chef Prue Leith.

Although the ingredients changed, the successful recipe stayed the same with the same signature, technical and showstopper challenges all taking place within that same Bake Off tent. Although we now have to endure intrusive ad breaks.

Fielding is very much a Marmite character – you’re either going to like his impish humour or he’s going to make you cringe. Toksvig, who has the same kind of friendly but cheeky humour as Mel and Sue, is a competent presenter – but together they are an odd duo.

Restaurateur Prue, who is always going to be compared to Mary, provided the same insightful feedback to the bakers – although she let herself down by accidentally tweeting the name of the winner 10 hours early.

The series was won by former army officer Sophie Faldo, who blew the judges away with her bakes throughout the 10-week competition.

Prue quickly deleted her too-early congratulatory tweet after the mistake had been made and she blamed the time difference on her blunder as she was in Bhutan, which is six hours ahead of the UK.

But it’s clear that this significant change to the line-up has caused the show to lose some of its magic – and while many fans stayed loyal, with some even saying they preferred its new look, lots of us switched off in our droves.

Almost 16 million people, either live or via catch-up TV, watched Candice Brown being crowned champion during the 2016 finale, its last one on BBC One.

While last year’s finale on Channel 4 attracted significantly lower numbers and was seen by a live audience of 7.3 million, which rose to 7.7 million when including those watching on Channel 4 +1.

But this was still deemed as a great success for Channel 4, which paid £75million for the programme, because the viewing figures were its highest ratings since the Paralympics Opening Ceremony in 2012.

So what does the future hold for the Great British Bake Off?

Earlier this month Paul hinted that there will be slight changes when it returns to Channel 4 for a second year on Tuesday, August 28.

He said they were going ‘back to basics’ on some of the challenges because ‘things were getting a bit over-complicated’.

“Sometimes it’s not just about the bakers in the tent, it’s about the people in the UK who watch the programme,” he was reported as saying. While both Fielding and Toksvig have spoken about how they felt more at ease filming the second series having felt an ‘enormous amount of pressure to not ruin this sacred show’.

It’s also been reported that, behind the scenes, the presenters having been working hard on their material which they write together. So was the problem first series nerves?

Maybe a more relaxed approach might make it more appealing to the viewers who got put off last year.

It seems viewers can still expect plenty of silliness, as in a teaser clip for the upcoming series cakes can be seen singing along to Christina Aguilera’s hit single Beautiful.

So if you’re still a fan, you can look forward to the new series; and if you gave up on it last time around, it might be worth another look.

Over the years the show has inspired many wannabe bakers to get out their mixing bowls and get baking.

So, if the Great British Bake Off can still do that, regardless of who is presenting and judging, maybe it has done it’s job.

• The Great British Bake Off returns to Channel 4 next Tuesday (August 28)